Centre of Gravity
by Impractical Joker
Summary: Gold decides to go for his favourite pastime: annoying Crystal. It turns out to be too much of a surprise. One shot. Mangaquestshipping


As I wrote, it dawned on me that I _suck at plot_. All I could think of were well trodden paths, they were so well trodden that, in fact, I could see the bed rock.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this cliche-ridden one shot. Reviews are all I can ask for. :)

* * *

**Gold**

All things considered, Gold thought as he stepped out of his house, this was a good day. No clouds were threatening to block out the brilliant sun, no chores were threatening to hinder his training, and no evil organizations were threatening to take over the world with the power of some legendary Poke mon. That counted as a good day by Gold's reckoning.

But the downside to a day when nothing was bothering you was that _nothing_ was bothering you. This is the case especially for someone like Gold, whose energy level was so high that if he were an atom, he would have been emitting gamma radiations. Someone like him needs focus; someone like him needs something to do; someone like him needs… bothers.

And what better bothers were there than a workaholic girl when you visit her workplace? Getting on Crystal's nerves was one of Gold's top pastimes, right there beside looking for local delicacies and hitting on pretty girls (minor setbacks like the unfortunate Bugsy incident had not deterred the intrepid Gold). Gold knew better than to actually interrupt her work (not even _Red_ dared do that), but he decided that giving her a little surprise around the hour she would be off duty was within the doctor's recommended dose of bother.

_And I am doing her a favour brightening her dull, _serious_ life._

With that thought, Gold released his team and started the day's training, happy at the knowledge that he had something to look forward to at the end of the day.

* * *

**Crystal**

Unlike many young people her age, Crystal did not find being cooped up in the lab on such a fine, sunny day something to be lamented. She liked the sense of purpose that work gave her. She liked the order and structure that a stable job created in her life. She liked, for want of a better word, working. That was why she was compiling data for Professor Oak in his lab instead of enjoying herself outside, despite his insistence.

Crystal knocked and entered Professor Oak's office.

"Professor Oak," she said, "here are the data on Johto's forest ecosystems. I will take care of the grassland data before I leave."

"Grassland can wait," said Professor Oak as he put aside the thick folder of data, "but a young girl like you shouldn't spend your whole day inside with an old bloke like me. I let you say no to the day off, but you can't say no to leaving early this time. Now go pack and have fun!"

"But it'll only take about half an hour…"

"I insist."

Crystal smiled the same way she smiled when a kid in the orphanage asked for one more candy. "If you say so, Professor. I'll take care of the data first thing tomorrow."

"Don't worry about that, Crystal."

"Thank you, Professor Oak." She said before leaving for her office to pack.

Professor Oak gazed at the door Crystal just closed behind her and wondered why it felt like _she_ had done _him_ a favour, and chuckled lightly.

Despite her workaholic tendencies, Crystal _was_ a girl of her age. Deep down in her heart somewhere she did not know exist or at least, did not admit exist dwelt a hunger for surprises and adventures. Like any person who lived by rules, Crystal derived some secret, guilty pleasure from breaking them.

And when it came to breaking rules, no one did it better or with more vigour than that boy with the golden eyes and the equally gaudy name. On every occasion since they first met, Gold had always managed to do something outrageous and, more importantly, _against the rules_ to induce Crystal's endless lecturing.

No one was able to do nearly the same, not even that particularly troublesome kid in the orphanage (to the kid's credit, he did not have the advantage of owning a high level Poke mon that had mastered the ultimate attack). That made Gold Crystal's no.1 source of trouble.

That was why, every time Gold went to the lab, Crystal threatened to kick him out, literally.

And that was also why, she had never, not once, actually done it.

* * *

**Gold**

The day's training went more smoothly the expected. Gold had half an hour to spare when he arrived outside Professor Oak's lab.

_Might as well give her more of a surprise. She usually finishes work early anyway._

Gold tried to remember Crystal's office's position relative to the outside. He found the window of his best guess and squatted down. Gold peered in and saw a small, empty office so neat and tidy that it looked barely used. _Looks like the place._

The window was slightly open, so Gold simply climbed in. He walked over to the desk and looked in disgust the pile of paperwork on it. _I can't believe the strict woman deals with _this_ every-_

"Click" the door opened and Crystal came in.

She froze with one hand on the doorknob, agape.

"Yo, Crys. Still working your pretty butt off, I see." Gold said as casually as he could.

"Gold?" Crystal's eyes widened, "Why are you here?"

"Do I need a reason to visit my friend? You sound like there's something wrong with it."

"_Of course_ there's something wrong with it!" Crystal crossed her arms, "You are not supposed to be here! How did you get in anyway?"

"The window was open." Gold leaned forward, voice raised unconsciously, "And what do you mean I'm not _supposed_ to be here?"

"You know what I mean!" Crystal's volume level now matched Gold's, "This is a restricted research facility! You can't break in just because you saw a window was open! Can't you use the door like a normal, _decent_ person?"

Gold was yelling by now. "I came all the way here and you yell at me because of the stupid door! I wanted to give you a surprise and loosen your tense, super serious look a bit, but you just _had_ to find fault in some minor details! You can just tell me if you don't want me here!"

Crystal drew a little breath, averting Gold's staring eyes. "I didn't say I don't."

"You didn't what?"

Crystal shouted straight at Gold's face, "I _said_, I didn't say I don't want you here!"

"Eh…?" For once Gold did not know how to retort.

Gold suddenly seemed to find a specimen on shelf singularly interesting, and Crystal equally suddenly seemed to decide that the leg of her desk was the most curious thing in the world. They both felt their faces heat up.

"So," They said at the same time.

"After you," Crystal said.

"So," Gold sat on the desk said, "When are you off? There is this new restaurant in Cerulean. Wanna try it out?"

"Actually," Crystal tucked a strand of loose hair behind her ear, "Professor has given me the rest of the afternoon off. I just came in to pack. I heard about the restaurant too, so… why not?"

"Nice! That's… nice."

Crystal made towards the desk.

"Do you mind getting off my desk? I can't pack if you-"

Crystal tripped on a pen that Gold knocked on the floor when they were shouting at each other, and lost that balance that she had trained so hard for.

Gold did not have time to react and could only feel the air knocked out of his lungs.

* * *

**Silver**

Silver felt incredibly tired as he knocked on the door of Professor Oak's office. He was slightly depressed about his inability to say no to Blue's request for errands, and more so about her knowledge of the fact.

"Professor Oak, it's me, Silver."

"Come in."

Silver entered.

"Good day Professor Oak, sorry for bothering you so late. Blue nee-san told me to get the evolution research journal for her."

Professor Oak looked at him over a file, "No problem. Crystal has it. You're lucky! She is about to leave. Catch her at her office quickly."

"Thank you."

Silver could hear some commotion down the corridor while he was walking towards Crystal's office. It sounded like people arguing.

Crystal's office's door was an inch ajar. When he put his hand on the doorknob he could hear a soft cry, followed by something crash on something hard. He opened the door.

"Is everything alright, Crys-"

The first thing Silver could make out was a tangle of limbs. Then he could see Gold's signature goggles, and Crystal's pigtails. Then Crystal's arms supporting her upper body, as if doing push up. Then Gold lying on the desk, body trapped awkwardly between Crystal and the desk. Then the two faces that were almost touching together.

_Finally_, Silver thought to himself. He had read it a thousand times before in the shoujo manga that Blue kept making him read (a handful of which he actually enjoyed despite himself). When a brash, annoying boy who has a good heart deep down meets a serious, no-nonsense girl who secretly has a soft spot for rascals, the laws of the universe dictate that they will become a couple some time down the road. They start bickering the moment they meet? That's a sign for budding attraction. "You jerk!" means "I love you." and "Shut up!" means "You'd better kiss me now." When rival who you _know_ stands no chance at all appears, you'd better brace yourself against the sparkles and cheap sound effects that come with their first kiss. Some more bickering and a great crisis overcome with the combined power of the two later and you know it's time to dust off your best suit for the wedding. The two specimens here on the desk were _way_ behind schedule as it was.

Gold saw him first. "Silver? What are you doing here?"

Crystal twisted her head towards Silver, and uttered the traditional "It's not what it looks like! I… I tripped and… and…"

Silver said nothing, looked around, spotted the journal on the shelf and picked it up. All that time the merry sound of Crystal and Gold bickering kept finding their way into Silver's ears. "Look what you've done!" "Get off of me!" "Stay still, I'm trying to get my hand away!" "Listen to me, Silver!" "Where are you touching, you pervert?"

After a few long seconds, Silver left through the door. As he closed the door, his head half inside the room, Silver said wearily, "Get a room, use protection."

And then he shut the door tight.

* * *

**Crystal**

"Wait a sec, Silver!" Crystal called out desperately at the closing door.

A quick Pang as the door shut tight was all the response she got.

Crystal turned back to face the desk and Gold, who was staring down below her neck, hastily looked back up at her face. He gulped.

Crystal pushed herself up in one quick motion. Now that Gold was stunned immobile and had stopped struggling, that was unexpectedly easy. Somehow Crystal was a little disappointed.

Gold stood up face to face with her.

"These things happen all the time," Gold tried to use his catch phrase as casually as possible, but this time not even himself was convinced, "don't worry about-"

He was cut short by Crystal kicking him in the shin.

"What was that for?" He cried in pain.

"It's all you fault!" Crystal shouted. "Why did you have to show up in my office all of a sudden? Why did you have to sit on my desk? Why did you have to put that pen there? Don't answer back! I know you didn't put it there! Just let me rant! Now how am I supposed to face everyone? They'll all laugh at me! They'll think the two of us…the two of us… You! You think of a way the clear this up!"

"How am I supposed to do that?" Gold said. "Go and tell everyone 'Crystal and I totally didn't make out in her office!'? _That_ certainly won't put any idea into people's head!"

"I don't care how you do it," Crystal turned her back on Gold, almost in tears, "just don't let me hear about it from anyone's mouth."

Gold saw that he could not talk his way out of this. "Alright, alright. I'll take care of it. So… how about dinner? At Cerulean? It'll all be on me." He added, "As an apology?"

"Of course it'll all be on you!" Crystal turned back to face Gold, "And don't think it's over! I won't let you off so lightly!"

They stared at each other for… a few second? A few minutes? Hours?

At last a smile slowly spread on their faces. Then the smile turned into shy laughter.

* * *

**Professor Oak**

Silver said good bye and went away. Professor went back to finishing the day's work.

A few minutes later someone opened the door of Professor Oak's office, poked in and said, "Good bye Professor. See you tomorrow!"

Professor Oak turned to the door and saw Crystal's familiar face and Gold behind her. "Good bye." Professor Oak said.

…Gold?

Inwardly fearful that old age had finally caught up on him, he stuck his head out to corridor and saw Crystal and a young man walking towards the front door. There was no mistake. That was Gold.

"Have you booked the table?" Crystal said.

"Book what?" Gold said.

"The table! For the dinner! That's the problem with you. You never plan ahead!"

"What's wrong with living at the moment?"

_Good grief. _Professor Oak thought to himself, as he listened to Crystal and Gold bickering with the casualness of an old married couple, yet at the same time with the excited shyness of a young quasi-couple who thought not even their partner, leave alone the world at large, knew of their mutual attraction. Here it goes again. First Daisy, and now Crystal. How come every assistant of his gets carried off by some young man right under his nose? Does it say "Professor Oak's Dating Service" at the front gate?

Professor Oak shook his head slightly and went back to his desk. He was reminded of his own dashing, younger self.

He could not help but smile.


End file.
